The portfolio of freelance character designer Chris Ayers, who is also the author & illustrator of the Daily Zoo books. This image of Earth suddenly occurred to me on a muggy July afternoon in 1975. Not long after, I discovered a magical wand made of wood called a "pencil." Through trial and error and lots of practice, I learned that these clever little gadgets allowed me to unlock the worlds of my imagination and put them on paper in visual form. During my early formative years, my spongy brain absorbed as much as possible of the fascinating world around me, especially the animal kingdom, dinosaurs, Sesame Street, Star Wars, Disney, art, mythology, closet monsters, spaceships, Robin Hood, Ray Harryhausen, pirates, alien friends and foes, Jules Verne, Dr. Seuss, Bill Pitt, comic book heroes and villains, animation, cartoons… Fast forward about twenty years to the spring of 2000. With my Toyota Tercel nearly full, I drove west from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. I had always dreamed of working in film one day, and at 24, it seemed like the right time to give it a try. Fast forward another nineteen years and I’m still driving my Toyota Tercel on the busy freeways of the City of Angels. My dream of working in the film industry has come true - and then some. As a character designer and concept artist, I’ve had the privilege of working on challenging and interesting projects such as Men in Black II, The Fantastic Four, The Santa Clause 2, Penguins of Madagascar, and currently serving as the lead character designer for the upcoming Disney series Monsters at Work. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my art while working in the fast-paced, demanding acting industry, and have met some incredibly talented and truly wonderful people. I’ve kept my bio short on purpose to avoid boring you, but I feel that even a brief bio should include a few sentences about my battle with cancer. Cancer survivor is not my only identity, but it is a part of me and plays a big role in how I now view the world around me. In the spring of 2005, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML - a blood cancer). It has been a scary and painful journey for me, as well as my friends and family. Fortunately, things have been going well so far, and I continue to strive to live each day to the fullest, grateful for the many “gifts” that the cancer experience has given me. Among these gifts is a renewed passion for making art, exploring my imagination, and nurturing my creativity. In 2006, on the one-year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis, I began a sketchbook called The Daily Zoo, with the intention of drawing one animal each day for a year. I hoped that, in addition to being challenging and fun, it would aid my recovery process by giving me the opportunity to focus on appreciating the gift of each healthy day. You can read more about The Daily Zoo here. The project originally began as a personal endeavor, but I have since had the opportunity to publish several books in the Daily Zoo series, most recently The Daily Zoo Volume 3: Healing Together, which came out in June 2015. So, this is me: a brief introduction to who I am, where I am, and how I got here. I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but I do intend to enjoy the journey.
Reading: 23 2019-03-27
Rosneft operates in all major oil and gas provinces of Russia, including Western and Eastern Siberia, the Volga region, the Urals, the Far East, Timano-Pechora, Krasnodar Krai and offshore Russia. Rosneft is the undisputed leader of the “green” agenda in the fuel and energy complex of the Russian Federation. Rosneft-2030 Strategy In late 2021, the Rosneft Board of Directors approved the strategy “Rosneft-2030: Reliable Energy and Global Energy Transformation”. The key priorities of the new strategy are carbon footprint reduction, operational leadership and efficiency improvement. The key goal of Rosneft’s long-term development strategy is to achieve net carbon neutrality in scope 1 and 2 by 2050, becoming the first company in the domestic oil and gas industry to set this strategic goal. The "Rosneft-2030" strategy defines the short-term and medium-term goals of the climate agenda: reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 5% by 2025; reducing methane emissions to below 0.2% by 2030; achieving zero routine combustion of associated petroleum gas; reducing unit greenhouse gas emissions in the upstream link to below 20 kg of CO2/boe; reducing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% by 2035. Carbon neutrality is the basis of Rosneft's strategic vision: while remaining a reliable producer, minimizing the impact on the climate and the environment. This goal will be achieved by reducing emissions, using low-carbon power generation, developing energy-saving technologies, carbon capture and storage technologies, using natural absorption potential, and other measures. At the same time, the "Rosneft-2030" strategy points the way for the development of the company's various business areas: maintaining the leading position in unit production costs, increasing the share of natural gas in total production to 25%, increasing payments to Rosneft shareholders and improving profitability, actively promoting circular economy principles, applying biodiversity protection methods, etc. Exploration In terms of hydrocarbon reserves, Rosneft is the undisputed leader among the world's public oil and gas companies. According to the results of the PRMS international classification (Hydrocarbon Resource Management System) reserve audit, as of December 31, 2022, the company's 1P reserves were 42.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 2P reserves were 84.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, and 3P reserves were 132.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The production replacement rate of 2P reserves exceeds 100%. Rosneft conducts exploration in all underground resource utilization areas of the Russian Federation, including the Russian Far East, Eastern Siberia, Central Russia, Timano-Pechora and Southern Russia. In 2022, Rosneft conducted more than 44,000 square kilometers of 2D seismic and more than 68,000 square kilometers of 3D seismic onshore in Russia. Testing of 64 exploration wells was completed with a success rate of 80%. The company is the largest user of subsurface resources in Russia's offshore: Rosneft holds licenses for the development of 55 blocks offshore the Russian mainland. The hydrocarbon resources in these blocks amount to about 41.5 billion tons of oil equivalent. Rosneft has implemented a large-scale offshore exploration program and has exceeded its license commitments every year. Efficient geological exploration has enabled the company to discover 7 oil fields and 153 new hydrocarbon deposits with reserves of about 0.3 billion tons of oil equivalent in the AB1C1+B2C2 category. The most important discoveries include Madachagskoye on the continental shelf of the Pechora Sea with recoverable oil reserves of 82.3 million tons in the AB1C1+B2C2 category. This is the largest discovery in the Russian Federation in 2022. Thus, as of December 31, 2022, the Company's hydrocarbon reserves classified in Russia amounted to 159.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (21.5 billion tons of oil equivalent) in the AB1C1+B2C2 category. Among the most outstanding discoveries of Rosneft in recent years are also the world's largest oil field: the West Ilginskoye field in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, as well as the Zhukov and Rokossovsky gas fields offshore the Kara Sea. Their total potential is estimated at 4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. In addition, in 2021, the company discovered a unique rich-gas condensate field named after Е.Zinichev in the Krasnoyarsk Territory with recoverable reserves of 384 billion cubic meters of AВ1С1+В2С2 natural gas, as well as the large Kederginskoye gas field in Yakutia with recoverable reserves of more than 43 billion cubic meters of AВ1С1+В2С2 natural gas. Production and Development Effective management of the portfolio of production assets and investments in the development of new fields enables Rosneft to ensure stable growth in hydrocarbon production now and in the future. Rosneft is the largest oil producer in the Russian Federation with a share of more than 40% in total production. In 2022, the company's liquid production reached 5.1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. At the same time, average daily hydrocarbon production rose to 5.5 million barrels of oil equivalent due to the resumption of production at the Sakhalin-1 project in the fourth quarter of 2022. Rosneft is also one of the largest independent natural gas producers in Russia. Natural gas production reached a record high of 74.4 billion cubic meters in 2022. As part of its development strategy, Rosneft plans to increase the share of natural gas in its total hydrocarbon production to 25% by 2025. Vostok Oil Flagship Project In 2020, Rosneft launched the Vostok Oil Project, the largest project in the global oil and gas industry. Currently, the project includes 52 licensed areas in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the northern part of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, where 13 oil and gas fields are located, including the Vankor group of fields (such as Vankor, Suzun, Tagur and Lodochnoye fields) and the Payakha group of fields. The project resources amount to 6.5 billion tons. This estimate is confirmed by large-scale geological surveys and detailed reports of world-class experts and international auditors. The results of the exploration are many times higher than the forecasts, so we can confidently predict that oil production will remain high for decades to come, with a phased increase to 115 million tons by 2033. The logistical advantage of the Vostok oil project is that the raw materials of the oil fields can be supplied to all international markets, especially the Asia-Pacific region. The record low unit extraction costs and the low carbon footprint (only one-quarter of the global average for new projects) make Vostok Oil one of the most environmentally friendly and "green" oil production projects in the world. Vostok Oil's crude oil is unique in composition: it is a high-quality light sweet crude oil with a sulfur content of 0.01% to 0.1%. This figure is comparable to the Euro 3 standard for diesel. In fact, these are "green barrels" produced through advanced technology. Their production may significantly reduce or even eliminate the need for certain units of refineries, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to conventional thermal power generation, the Vostok Oil energy system will also integrate wind power generation, which is a unique feature of the project. The maximum capacity of the wind farm can reach 200 MW. A notable feature of the project is its almost 100% utilization of associated petroleum gas for its own energy needs. The main oil transportation artery of the Vostok Oil project will be a unique pipeline with a length of about 770 kilometers. This trunk pipeline will transport Vostok Oil's commercial oil to the port of Sever Bay. The new oil pipeline system will include existing infrastructure in the Vankor cluster and infrastructure to be built on the Taimyr Peninsula in the coming years. The project focuses on the extensive use of in-house and Russian solutions: more than 99% of the equipment and components of the Vostok oil power plant are domestically produced. Oil refining and gas processing Rosneft is the leading company in Russia's oil refining industry. The company accounts for more than 35% of Russia's refining output. In 2022, the company's oil refining volume reached 94.4 million tons. The company's refining and petrochemicals segment includes 13 large refineries, 3 petrochemical plants, 4 gas processing plants, 3 catalyst manufacturing plants and 1 service company. Rosneft is implementing the largest refinery upgrading project in the industry, including the renovation of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur refinery, the upgrading of the Ryazan and Tuapse refineries, the renovation and upgrading of the Achinsk refinery, the Angarsk Petrochemical Company and the Samara Group plants. The total investment in the project exceeds 1 trillion rubles. Rosneft's petrochemical complex includes the Angarsk Polymer Plant, the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company and the Ufarg Synthetic Plant. In addition, the petrochemical business includes the aromatics production center in Bashneft-Ufa Neftkim and the methanol, butanol and amine production facilities of Angarsk Petrochemical Company. Rosneft holds a leading position in the domestic petrochemical catalyst market. The company's Angarsk Catalyst Plant, Novokuibyshev Catalyst Plant and RN-Kat produce products that are comparable to the best in the world and even exceed them in some parameters. Since 2020, Rosneft has completely abandoned imports and switched to using only its internally produced hydrotreating and hydrocracking catalysts. This helps solve the most important strategic task of reducing the domestic refining industry's dependence on imported catalysts. In 2022, the company began to export its internally produced catalysts abroad. Rosneft holds a 49.13% stake in India's Nayara Energy, which includes a refinery with an annual production capacity of 20 million tons in the city of Vadinar. The refinery is the second largest refinery in India and one of the most technologically advanced refineries in the world. The Indian company is implementing a refinery upgrade program: the first phase plans to build a polypropylene production unit with an annual capacity of up to 450,000 tons. Nayara Energy's business also includes a deep-water port that can accommodate very large VLCC tankers and one of the largest fuel retail networks in India with more than 6,500 fuel stations. Fuel supply and retail In the reporting year, Rosneft continued to fully meet the growing demand for high-quality motor vehicle fuels in the domestic market. The scope of domestic sales of petroleum products reached a record 42.1 million tons in 2022, an increase of 6.0% year-on-year. Rosneft's retail network is the largest in Russia in terms of geographical coverage and number of gas stations, and Rosneft's gas station brand is also one of the leaders in Russia in terms of visibility and fuel quality. Rosneft's retail business covers 61 regions of Russia. At the same time, the company operates about 3,000 gas stations in Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Abkhazia. These gas stations are equipped with shops, cafes, pharmacies, post offices and dry cleaning counters. The company is also promoting a new customer service method at its gas stations - food trucks (mobile retail stores). Currently, gas stations in St. Petersburg, on the federal highway between St. Petersburg and the Republic of Karelia, and gas stations in Arkhangelsk offer "mobile cafe" services. The company's retail and sales complex has 116 oil bases, as well as a fleet of 915 refueling trucks. The company is also implementing a program for compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations. Currently, the network of filling stations and filling station modules includes 21 filling stations in Voronezh, Saratov, Orenburg and Ulyanovsk regions, Stavropol Territory, the Republic of Ingushetia, the Republic of Mordovia and the Republic of Udmurtia. By 2028, Rosneft intends to launch up to 200 filling stations under its refueling infrastructure development program. Rosneft equips its gas stations with electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Rosneft's gas stations have 55 charging units in the city of St. Petersburg, as well as in the Leningrad, Moscow, Tver, Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Buryatia. One of Rosneft's priorities is to expand sales channels for its premium products, including in the fields of airport refueling, bunkering and asphalt. Rosneft provides "aircraft refueling" services at 40 airports in Russia and abroad. Rosneft's refueling business covers all major Russian seaports and river ports. In the field of asphalt, Rosneft is developing the manufacture and sale of high-tech modern materials for road construction, the most important of which are modified products, which help to significantly improve the quality of road surfaces. Far Eastern Shipyard On the commission of the Russian President, Rosneft is implementing a large-scale project to create a shipbuilding cluster in the Far East, the core of which will be the Red Star Shipyard in Bolshaya Kamen, Moscow. The construction of the shipyard is being carried out in two stages. The facilities of the first expansion phase were commissioned in 2016 and 2017 (hull shop, paint shop and heavy open outfitting slipway) and are currently in operation. In September 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the launch ceremony of the first phase of the shipyard, said: "We have reason to believe that the new plant will be superior to our main international competitors in many aspects." The President noted that the development of the civilian shipbuilding industry and the commissioning of new production facilities are one of the key strategic tasks for strengthening the industrial potential of the Russian Far East. The President noted that it is very important to implement Rosneft's integrated strategy in the Russian Far East, which aims to build oil and gas production and processing facilities, while supporting research activities, implementing social projects and creating infrastructure for high-quality growth. "All this demonstrates a fundamental and responsible way of doing business, which should serve as a reference point for other large Russian and foreign companies ready to invest in the Russian Far East," said the President of the Russian Federation. One of the key facilities of the first phase is the open heavy outfitting slipway. The slipway is an advanced engineering structure covering an area of 12 hectares. The slipway is equipped with four 100-ton gantry cranes, two 320-ton bridge cranes and a 1,200-ton giant crane, which has no analogues in Russian shipyards. This type of crane allows to build several ships with large sections at the same time (in existing Russian shipyards, the maximum capacity of the cranes does not exceed 500 tons). As a result, now Russia can build ships and offshore facilities up to 300 meters long and 75 meters wide. In July 2018, Zvezda Shipyard received a transport and transshipment floating dock with a loading capacity of 40,000 tons. The dock is designed to launch large ships with a length of about 300 meters, a width of more than 50 meters, a launching weight of up to 40,000 tons, and a deadweight of up to 350,000 tons, as well as to launch marine facilities such as drilling platforms and their components without the use of special equipment, and to ensure high quality and safety of the launch. In December 2021, the dry dock of Zvezda Shipyard was put into operation 3 years ahead of schedule, becoming the largest dock in Russia and one of the largest in the world. The second stage of the shipyard construction is scheduled to be put into operation in 2024. The facilities of the second stage include additional full-cycle manufacturing workshops for the construction of large-tonnage ships and marine facilities. The product line of the Zvezda Shipyard includes high-tech and large-tonnage ships, offshore drilling platforms, exploration and production platforms, service vessels, including ice-class ships. The order portfolio of the shipyard lists more than 60 ships. They have already launched three Aframax tankers, two of which are already transporting oil, and one Katerina Velikaya multipurpose vessel. Zvezda Shipyard is building the Russian flagship, the first nuclear-powered icebreaker of the "Leader" project. The ship will be the most powerful nuclear-powered ship in the history of global shipbuilding. This technologically highly complex project has no analogues in the world. Its main goal is to provide year-round trials for commercial fleets on the Northern Sea Route. The "Leader" project will become the basis for a new generation of Russia's icebreaker fleet. By 2024, the shipyard will employ more than 7,500 highly qualified specialists. In the town of Bolshoi Kamen, a new residential complex called Parkovy is being built for them. In July 2022, the shipyard held a housewarming party in the first two residential buildings built at the expense of Rosneft. There will be a total of 10 residential buildings in the area, equipped with playgrounds and sports fields. Sustainable development (ESG) Rosneft's strategy is based on structuring its business in accordance with the highest health, safety and environmental requirements. Rosneft has been a member of the UN Global Compact since 2010 and publishes its sustainability report every year. Rosneft's mission, values, guidelines and strategic principles are aligned with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The company has identified five priority goals and will achieve them through its core business: good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, combating climate change, and partnerships for sustainable development. In December 2021, the company's Board of Directors approved a new development plan: "Rosneft-2030: Reliable Energy and Global Energy Transformation". According to this strategy, Rosneft aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050. In 2021, Rosneft became the only Russian oil and gas company to be awarded the status of Leader in Sustainability and included in the Global Compact’s LEAD initiative for its strong commitment to the UN Global Compact and its ten principles for responsible business. Rosneft directly contributes to the achievement of the UN’s 17 goals not only in its core business, but also by supporting various projects and initiatives aimed at improving living standards, developing healthcare, science and education, culture and protecting the environment in the regions where it operates. In 2022, Rosneft ranked among the leaders of Russian ESG stock indices for the seventh consecutive time, including the Moscow Exchange-RUIE (Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs) Responsibility and Openness Index and the Moscow Exchange-RUIE Sustainability Vector Index. The company was awarded the highest level of ESG rating for sustainable corporate governance by the University of Perugia and the “Yes-Strategy” business development agency in Italy. Science and Innovation Rosneft is a leader in innovative change in the Russian oil and gas industry. The company's efforts are aimed at developing the industry's knowledge and technological potential, building on the strong foundation of the best Russian oil and gas schools in the world. Rosneft has formed the largest R&D complex in Europe with a large-scale infrastructure and outstanding R&D potential: it consists of 30 institutes and employs 185,000 highly qualified specialists. The company's R&D complex is spread across all regions of the company's business, as well as abroad. At the same time, the applied interests of the complex's scientists cover all business areas, from oil field development to retail. R&D complex specialists have developed more than 16 geological, oil production and refining software packages, including the RN-GRID package for modeling hydraulic fracturing operations (GRP), RN-GEOSIM, RN-KIM, RN-SIGMA, and others. In terms of digital transformation and IT technology development, more than 50,000 digital twins of oil wells and production facilities have been implemented. Digital oilfield and digital refinery projects have been launched. The company's software products surpass foreign counterparts in terms of the number of tasks handled and calculation speed. The quality and efficiency of Rosneft's software are also demonstrated by its successful commercialization: licenses for 10 of the company's unique products have been exported to foreign markets. 74% of Rosneft's own software is used in exploration and production, and in the fields of hydrodynamic modeling, hydraulic fracturing design and geonavigation, this figure reaches 100%. The effect of introducing internal IT solutions has reached about 10 billion rubles. In the course of implementing the innovation development program, Rosneft has created a portfolio of 118 targeted innovation projects and continues to fully commission new technologies, both those offered for the first time by manufacturers and those that have been successfully tested in oil and gas practice. Testing and implementation of technologies are carried out at multiple levels depending on strategic importance and scale of promotion, and pilot tests are carried out. Rosneft relies on accelerated business digitalization, industrial Internet technologies, which will fundamentally strengthen the control of logistics and eliminate the factor of human error. Environmental protection Rosneft prioritizes environmental protection and the preservation and restoration of natural resources. To make its operations more environmentally friendly and minimize its environmental footprint, the company's "green" investments over five years (2018-2022) total about 270 billion rubles. The company's environmental initiatives include the rational use of associated petroleum gas, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving its capture and storage technologies, optimizing water and wastewater treatment processes, land reclamation and ecosystem protection. Currently, all major subsidiaries of the company have achieved 99% utilization of associated petroleum gas by establishing infrastructure to collect, use and supply gas to consumers or re-inject it into formations. In the field of natural resource protection, the company actively promotes the principles of "circular economy" ("closed loop economy"), including waste-free manufacturing technologies, resource recovery and reuse. Rosneft implements a series of comprehensive programs to protect and restore natural resources. An important component of Rosneft's strategy is the natural absorption mechanism. The company has already significantly contributed to the absorption of greenhouse gas emissions by forests through annual afforestation in its operating areas. In the period 2020-2022 alone, Rosneft subsidiaries planted more than 18 million seedlings and young trees. In 2022, the company launched the world's largest forest-climate project. A package of forestry measures is expected to have a cumulative absorption potential of 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent. Rosneft's forest-climate project aims not only to significantly contribute to the absorption of greenhouse gases and help develop a methodological framework for the establishment of an appropriate mathematical balance model, but also to contribute to the establishment of a regulatory framework for the market of carbon units (CU). The company pays special attention to measures for the reproduction of aquatic biological resources. Group subsidiaries are responsible for the reproduction and release of fish fry into river systems (in total, group subsidiaries released about 230 million fish fry in 2020-2022). Under the project of the Arctic Research Center (part of the Rosneft Research and Development Center) and the Innopraktika non-governmental development institute of the Biology Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian scientists have created a unique prototype of a biological product for cleaning up oil and oil product spills on the coastline and waters of the North Sea. The technology is based on the use of naturally occurring psychrophilic (cold-loving) microorganisms, which feed on hydrocarbons. In July 2012, Rosneft sent two research vessels to the North Sea for the first time to study the runoff winds of Novaya Zemlya. This expedition launched the largest Arctic research in modern history. In the following 10 years, Rosneft conducted about 40 comprehensive expeditions, many of which were unique. With the help of Russian high-tech equipment, they studied 90% of the Russian Arctic glaciers. These studies had practical goals, which included the development of the Northern Sea Route and the control of ice conditions at high latitudes. The company implements projects aimed at studying and protecting Arctic animals and birds, which are indicators of the sustainability of the region's ecosystems. Likewise, expeditions went to study polar bears, Atlantic walruses, wild reindeer, Siberian sables and ivory gulls, which are recorded in the Red Book at all levels. The results of the research serve as the basis for planning the company's operations and organizing environmental monitoring. The company is sponsoring projects for the protection and breeding of rare animals, such as Siberian tigers, polar bears, Atlantic walruses, ivory gulls and wild reindeer. Rosneft is protecting polar bears in all zoos across the country and financing the construction of new homes to make the bears' living conditions as comfortable as possible and similar to their natural habitat. Social responsibility Rosneft implements social programs in all regions of its presence: building modern hospitals, sports centers, ice stadiums, schools and kindergartens. The company has strategic cooperation agreements with local governments. This is primarily aimed at the development of social infrastructure. Large-scale projects are underway that will completely change the face of towns and provide local residents with direct access to the latest services in health care, education, sports and recreation, as well as housing and utilities. The company's subsidiaries are often the main employers in their locations, so they undertake commitments to maintain streets and roads, build bridges, repair utilities and transport networks, electricity and heating facilities, and replace equipment. Rosneft implements dozens of projects related to supporting health care and developing medicine. It allocates a large amount of funds for the construction, overhaul and reconstruction of medical facilities (clinics, hospitals, medical centers), the improvement of their infrastructure, and the purchase of new medical and diagnostic equipment. The main social projects in this field include the launch of a multifunctional medical center in Gelendzhik, the construction of a new children's hospital building in Saratov, and the creation of a comprehensive emergency system of emergency medical services in the Arctic. Another important focus of the social policy of Rosneft and its subsidiaries is the support of sports. The company finances the construction of ice arenas, sports centers and multifunctional sports stadiums in its regions. The company supports not only professional sports, but also amateur sports. Rosneft owns the CSKA ice hockey club, and also finances the Arsenal football club in Tula, sponsors the Lada Sport Rosneft racing team as a general sponsor, helps Russian sambo wrestlers and promotes various regional sports development programs. Rosneft actively participates in important events in Russia's cultural life. The company finances projects that define the country's cultural image, influence national identity and form the public's understanding of high culture. These include support for the Shostakovich St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Boris Eifman Ballet, the Sretensky Monastery Choir, as well as such notable cultural events as the exhibition of Thomas Gainsborough’s paintings and Edo paintings at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and the exhibition of Raphael’s paintings at the Hermitage Museum. In 2019, Rosneft helped the Hermitage Museum reopen part of the Ancient World Gallery. This incomparable museum space had been closed to the public for nearly 40 years. After an extensive restoration, the gallery returned to its historical appearance and became the venue for the permanent exhibition “Ancient Colonization of the Northern Black Sea Region”. Rosneft is the general sponsor of the “White Steamboat Children’s Music Festival”, a charity project for disadvantaged children. Gifted children receive an education in singing, performance techniques, choral singing, musical instruments and choreography from highly skilled professional tutors at a unique summer singing and choral school, and then perform at gala concerts in major concert halls across Russia.
Reading: 22 2019-03-27
Adventure.com is exploring a more conscious and curious future of travel. This is for those who see their time on this magical and fragile planet as an invitation to see, do, and learn more - whether in their own backyard or on the other side of the world. This is prepared for those who not only care about where they are going, but also how and why they are going. Our mission Through our combination of travel and adventure news, reportage, introductions, photography, and perspectives, we are seeking to uncover ways to explore the world that are more suitable for community and climate awareness, and support the people, initiatives, and ideas that make it possible. We will also align our business practices with our ethical standards and continuously strive to find new ways to maximize our positive impact. Simply put, we are striving to become the best travel publication in the world. Our influence We believe that storytelling can play a crucial role in creating a more responsible travel future. We strive to minimize the negative impact of travel on the environment and society, while maximizing its positive effects. We strive to reduce emissions generated by storytelling practices (through our sustainability commitments and contributor impact guidelines) and offset any emissions through our parent company Intrepid. Although Adventure.com will always be free to access, we encourage readers to donate through our paid forwarding subscription, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to our charitable partner, the Fearless Foundation, which improves livelihoods through sustainable travel experiences. This is like subscribing to the most influential magazine in the world. Our team Adventure.com is operated by a small global editorial team: Oliver Pelling from Melbourne, Meera Dattani from London, and Lauren Steele from Salt Lake City. Our image editor Nicola Bailey is based in Sydney. Adventure.com writers come from all over the world, and we are always happy to hear from new writers and photographers. You can contact us anytime hello@adventure.com (Please allow up to one week for a response). Our background Adventure.com is supported by Intrepid, the world's largest travel company. Intrepid is proud to support the transformative power of tourism and the important role that travel news plays in informing us about how and why to travel around the world. For Intrepid, Adventure.com is a tool that inspires, educates, and empowers readers to view the world more responsibly, and supports future ethical and inclusive travel writing and storytelling. Unless otherwise labeled as' brought to you by Intrepid ', Intrepid will not review or approve the content on this website. Adventure is a video website focused on outdoor adventures, providing a large number of outdoor adventure activity videos, including mountaineering, rock climbing, gliding, drifting, skydiving, and more. The characteristics of Adventure website are: Rich video content: Adventure website has a large number of outdoor adventure activity videos, covering various outdoor sports and adventure activities. Users can learn about different outdoor sports and adventure activities, as well as learn some outdoor skills and knowledge by watching these videos. Strong interactivity: The Adventure website provides many interactive features, such as users can leave comments, like, share, and so on. Users can communicate with other outdoor enthusiasts and share their experiences and feelings through these features. High professionalism: The video content on Adventure website is mostly shot and produced by professional outdoor sports teams, with high image quality and professional content. Users can learn some professional outdoor skills and knowledge by watching these videos, and improve their outdoor sports level. Good community atmosphere: Adventure website has a good community atmosphere, where users support and encourage each other, forming a positive community culture. For beginners, there is a lot of help and support available through the community. Overall, Adventure is a great outdoor adventure video website that can meet users' needs for outdoor sports and adventure activity videos, while also providing some useful outdoor skills and knowledge. If you are interested in outdoor sports and adventure activities, you may want to visit the Adventure website.
Use our daily tips and online writing courses to cultivate better writing habits. Create a daily writing program from your inbox and improve your writing skills through a writing course library. Daily Page "started with two friends who both wanted to become better writers and knew that the only way was to start writing every day. We know that there is no shortcut or substitute for repeating every day. But developing this daily habit is difficult. Every morning when we wake up, we find ourselves staring at a blank piece of paper with nothing to write on. That's why we created writing prompts. We need something to push us and give ourselves a place to start. Since its launch in November 2014, we have found that our tips have had a significant impact on helping our authors develop daily writing habits. So far, we have had 10861 writers create 67555 pages, totaling 10811029 words. That's a bunch of daily pages! We believe that learning will not stop here. We hope that Daily Page becomes your one-stop shop for becoming a better writer. That's why we started collaborating with professional writers and editors to create writing courses. These courses are aimed at those who have ideas but need some guidance and structure. Every design is meant for you to learn in practice and leave with a physical draft of anything you want to create - whether it's a script, blog, epic, fictional story. We are very excited about the tools and community we have built on Daily Page, and if anything we create can inspire and improve anything you are creating, we will be thrilled.
Changchun University of Science and Technology, formerly known as Changchun Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, was founded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958. It is the first higher education institution in New China to train optical professionals. After more than 60 years of construction and development, the school has now become a key provincial university in Jilin Province with distinctive optoelectronic and national defense characteristics. It is a university jointly built by Jilin Province, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and Changchun City, and enjoys the reputation of "Cradle of Chinese Optical Talents". Born out of light, it resonates with the development of national education. Wang Daheng, a hero of the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" and an academician of the two academies, is the founder and first dean of the school. 16 academicians, including Gong Zutong, the developer of China's first crucible optical glass, Wang Zhijiang, the developer of China's first laser, and Xue Mingqiu, the developer of China's first high-precision theodolite, have taught or studied at the school, which has accumulated a rigorous and realistic academic atmosphere for the school. The school has been successively affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the Fifth Ministry of Machine Building, the State Machinery Industry Commission, the Ministry of Machinery and Electronics Industry, and the China Ordnance Industry Corporation. In 1999, it was transferred to the management of Jilin Province and co-built with the National Defense Science and Technology Commission. In 2002, it was renamed Changchun University of Science and Technology; in 2004, it was identified as a provincial key university. In 2009, China's only national optical science and technology museum, Changchun China Optical Science and Technology Museum, was approved for construction and managed by the school. In 2010, it was approved by the Ministry of Education as a Shanghai Cooperation Organization University Project University. In 2012, it was selected as a university in the "Basic Capacity Building Project for Colleges and Universities in Central and Western China". In 2017, it was selected into the first batch of the "Innovation and Talent Introduction Plan for Higher Education Disciplines" of the Ministry of Education and the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. In 2020, it was selected into the A category of the "Jilin Province Characteristic High-level Applied Research University" construction project. Chasing the light, promoting connotation development while strengthening characteristics. The school has formed a discipline layout with optoelectronic technology as its feature, the combination of optics, machinery, electricity, computing, and materials as its advantage, and the coordinated development of engineering, science, literature, economics, management, law, and art. It has built a large optoelectronic discipline system with integrated optomechanical and complete systems. The main disciplines of optics, machinery, electricity, computing, and materials have all obtained the right to confer first-level doctoral degrees. It has 1 national key discipline, 4 Jilin Province's top priority disciplines, 16 Jilin Province's characteristic high-level disciplines; 7 postdoctoral research stations, 9 first-level disciplines authorized to confer doctoral degrees, 37 doctoral degree-granting disciplines (including self-established second-level disciplines), 20 first-level disciplines authorized to confer master's degrees, 101 master's degree-granting disciplines (including self-established second-level disciplines), 1 doctoral professional degree authorization category, 11 master's professional degree authorization categories; 60 undergraduate majors; it has the right to take separate entrance examinations for master's degree students and the right to recommend outstanding undergraduate graduates to study for a master's degree without examination. The school covers an area of 718,000 square meters, a building area of 538,000 square meters, and a total value of fixed assets of 2.45 billion yuan; there are 34,018 students of all types, including 676 doctoral students, 5,128 master's students, 16,778 undergraduates, and 134 international students. The school currently has 2,115 faculty and staff, including 1 self-cultivated academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 7 dual-appointed academicians, 1 winner of the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award, 3 members of the subject evaluation group of the State Council Academic Degree Committee, 1 national teaching master, and 46 winners of the State Council Special Government Allowance; it has 2 national high-end intelligence introduction platforms, 1 "Huang Danian-style" teacher team in national universities, 2 national excellent teaching teams, 14 excellent teaching teams in Jilin Province, 2 national defense science and technology innovation teams, and 28 innovation teams in Jilin Province universities. Forge ahead and improve the quality of school operation in deepening reform. The school aims to cultivate high-quality professionals with innovative spirit and engineering application ability, and has formed a diversified talent training model of top innovative talents, innovative application talents, and application talents. It has Wang Daheng College of Science and Technology, Wang Daheng College of Future Technology, and International Elite Class of Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering. The school is an implementation school of the Excellent Engineer Education and Training Program approved by the Ministry of Education and a national college student innovation and entrepreneurship training program implementation school. It has 7 national specialty majors, 14 national first-class undergraduate majors, 4 national quality courses, 4 national quality resource sharing courses, 2 national bilingual teaching demonstration courses, 1 national quality video open course, 10 national planning textbooks and a large number of provincial high-quality teaching resources, and has won 3 national teaching achievement awards. It has 4 national experimental teaching demonstration centers, 2 national virtual simulation experimental teaching centers, 2 national talent training model innovation experimental areas, 4 national off-campus practical education bases for college students, 1 national college student science and technology entrepreneurship internship base, and 1 national (joint) college student cultural quality education base. It ranks 43rd in the "National Ordinary College Student Competition Ranking". The school recruits students from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country. All ordinary undergraduate majors are enrolled in the first batch, and the quality of students has steadily improved. Since its establishment, the school has trained more than 160,000 graduates for the country, and the quality of talent training has been highly praised and widely recognized by the society. The first-time employment rate of undergraduates and postgraduates has always been among the best in Jilin Province. The school has won honors such as "National Advanced Collective for Graduate Employment of General Colleges and Universities", "National Graduate Employment Typical Experience University", "Aerospace Talent Outstanding Contribution Award", and "Top 50 National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Typical Experience University". In the 2015 Ministry of Education's undergraduate teaching review and evaluation, the expert group evaluated the school: the school has distinct characteristics, and its status and reputation, discipline development and scientific research level, and talent training quality are among the best in similar universities in the country. Be brave to innovate and take responsibility in serving national strategies. The school has always adhered to the major strategic needs of the country and built an innovation system consisting of knowledge innovation, technological innovation and national defense science and technology innovation. It has formed distinct characteristics and advantages in laser technology, optoelectronic instruments, optical communication technology, optoelectronic functional materials, modern optical design and advanced manufacturing technology, computer technology, nanotechnology and other fields. Scientific research results have been widely used in Beidou Project and National Manned Space Project, making important contributions to the implementation of major national strategies. The school currently has 1 national key laboratory, 1 national and local joint engineering laboratory, 2 national and local joint engineering research centers, 3 international science and technology cooperation bases, 25 provincial and ministerial key laboratories, 15 provincial and ministerial engineering research centers (including science and technology innovation centers), 2 provincial and ministerial international science and technology cooperation bases, 2 provincial and ministerial high-end science and technology innovation platforms for higher education institutions, 5 provincial and ministerial collaborative innovation centers, 1 provincial and ministerial public technology research and development center, and 10 provincial and ministerial humanities and social science bases. In the past three years, it has undertaken more than 1,500 scientific research projects, including a number of high-level projects such as the "National Natural Science Foundation" and the "Ye Qisun" Science Foundation key support projects. The school actively serves the national and local economic construction, has built a national university science and technology park, and gives full play to the advantages of good disciplinary foundation, strong scientific research capabilities, and strong technical strength. It focuses on promoting scientific research and development, achievement transformation, and industry-university-research cooperation. The high-tech products developed by the school, such as semiconductor lasers, solid lasers, optoelectronic detection equipment, biomedical instruments, special effects movies, etc., have achieved good economic benefits. The sea embraces hundreds of rivers and goes to the world in the deep integration of the "Belt and Road". The school adheres to the international development strategy and has formed a broad and close international cooperation network. It has established friendly cooperative relations with universities and scientific research institutions in more than 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Russia, South Korea, Norway, and Japan. It is the Chinese leading institution in the "Nanotechnology" direction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization University and the Sino-Russian Engineering University Alliance Project. It has a training and research center for studying abroad under the Ministry of Education. With the approval of the Ministry of Education, it cooperates with the St. Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics in Russia to organize a master's degree education program in "Optical Engineering", cooperates with Delaware State University in the United States to organize an undergraduate education program in "Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering", and conducts a cooperative education program with the University of the West of Scotland in the United Kingdom. In recent years, more than 300 teachers have been sent abroad to study for degrees, further studies or participate in international academic conferences. Every year, nearly 100 students are sent abroad to exchange studies or study for degrees through the China Scholarship Council and inter-school exchange programs. The school is qualified to receive Chinese government scholarship students, and more than 1,000 international students from more than 70 countries come to the school for further study. There is a Confucius Institute in Buryatia, Russia. Establish morality and cultivate people, and practice the original mission under the guidance of the party flag. The school has 22 grassroots party committees (general party branches and directly affiliated party branches). Through the in-depth implementation of the "Strengthening Cultural Construction, Improving Soft Power Project" and the "Party Flag Leading Project", it continues to carry out various forms of pioneering and excellence, thematic education and practice activities to create a positive campus cultural atmosphere. In serving the cause of national defense modernization, the school has accumulated a profound military cultural heritage, built and improved the military cultural education system, and the "old soldiers" spirit, "two bombs and one satellite" spirit, and "manned spaceflight" spirit have become the common spiritual character and value pursuit of teachers and students in the school. It was selected as the first batch of "three-dimensional education" comprehensive reform pilot universities in Jilin Province. The school has been rated as a civilized unit in Jilin Province for two consecutive terms, and won the honorary titles of Jilin Province's "May 1st Labor Award", Jilin Province's "Model School for Governing Schools by Law", Jilin Province's first batch of party building demonstration universities, and provincial advanced party committees. The new era opens a new journey, and the new starting point bravely undertakes a new mission. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and guided by the school motto of "Virtue, Erudition, Truth-seeking, and Innovation" and the spirit of science and engineering of "Aiming High, Perseverance, Unity of Knowledge and Action, and Pursuit of Excellence", all teachers and students of the school fully implement the fundamental task of cultivating morality and educating people, continuously enhance the comprehensive school-running strength and core competitiveness, and work tirelessly to build a distinctive high-level university as soon as possible. (Data as of September 30, 2021, of which student data is extracted from the "2021 Higher Education Grassroots Statistical Report")
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l Chinese Education Practice and Research Base in Africa, and the Zhejiang Confucius Institute Teacher Selection and Training Center.
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d "National College Practice Education Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base". The school adheres to the principle of "taking undergraduate education as the foundation", promotes th
logical Experiment (Practice) Teaching Demonstration Center", and the "National Basic Science and Technology Demonstration Center". The school library has a building area of more
Henan Institute of Technology is a provincial full-time general undergraduate college located in Xinxiang, a famous city in northern Henan Province. It was founded in 1975. The school is a national advanced employment unit, a typical college with graduate employment experience, a demonstrative applied technology type undergraduate college in Henan Province, a model of civilized campus in Henan Province, and a safe campus in Henan Province. The school was born in the combination of work and study and developed in the cooperation between schools and enterprises. It has a deep historical accumulation and rich educational resources. In the nearly half-century history of running the school, the school motto of "virtue, erudition, truth-seeking, and innovation" has been gradually formed, the school spirit of "unity, creation, competition, and happiness", the teaching style of "cultivating morality, loving students, dedication, and good education", and the style of study of "diligent learning, good thinking, and unity of knowledge and action" have been gradually formed, and the school spirit of "pioneering and enterprising, and self-improvement" has been precipitated. The school has a pure school spirit, a positive teaching style, and a strong learning style. At present, the school has more than 20,000 full-time students and more than 1,100 faculty and staff. It covers an area of 1,220 acres, with a school building area of more than 560,000 square meters. The library has more than 1.71 million applicable paper books and more than 260,000 electronic books; the total value of teaching and scientific research equipment is more than 260 million yuan. The school insists on taking discipline and professional construction as the leader to optimize the discipline and professional structure. At present, the school has 15 colleges (departments), 36 undergraduate majors, 28 provincial key disciplines, provincial first-class undergraduate major construction sites and provincial and above characteristic (demonstration, famous) majors, forming characteristic disciplines such as intelligent manufacturing, new energy materials, and cable engineering, and initially building a discipline and professional system with engineering as the main subject and coordinated development of five major disciplines of engineering, management, economics, literature and art. The school vigorously implements the talent construction project to promote the gathering of high-end talents. There are more than 970 full-time teachers, more than 300 teachers with senior professional titles, more than 20 academicians, Yangtze River Scholars, part-time professors, etc., and more than 70 experts with special government allowances from the State Council, national teaching masters, national candidates for the Hundred Thousand Talents Project, provincial teaching masters, provincial outstanding experts, etc., and 2 provincial outstanding teaching teams. The school adheres to the moral education and has achieved fruitful results in education and teaching. The school is a national college practice education innovation and entrepreneurship base and a college training base for dual-qualified teachers in vocational education in Henan Province. It has 14 national and provincial demonstration training bases, vocational skills appraisal institutes, and virtual simulation experimental teaching projects. It has won 19 national and provincial teaching achievement awards, 35 Ministry of Education industry-university cooperation and collaborative education projects, and has 29 national and provincial first-class undergraduate courses. In the past five years, students have won more than 300 awards at the provincial and ministerial levels in various subject competitions such as the China "Internet +" College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, the "Challenge Cup" Henan Province College Student Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, the National College Student Electronic Design Competition, and the National College Student Mathematical Modeling Competition. The comprehensive quality of graduates is highly praised by employers, the quality of employment is improving year by year, and the employment rate has always remained above 95%. The school attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation and has achieved remarkable results in serving the society. It has built 1 provincial key laboratory and 10 provincial engineering (technology) centers. In recent years, the school has hosted more than 200 scientific research projects at or above the provincial level, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and published more than 300 academic papers in journals such as SCI, EI, and CSSCI as the first author, published more than 80 academic works and textbooks, and obtained more than 110 patents. It has provided more than 420 technical consulting services to enterprises. The school was rated as one of the "Ten Fast" universities in the Henan Province's special action to improve the comprehensive ability of intellectual property rights. The school insists on open education and takes firm steps in international cooperation. Actively respond to the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" education action, carry out substantive cooperation with well-known universities or institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea and other countries (or regions), introduce high-quality educational resources and school-running concepts, and promote a significant improvement in the level of school-running. Stand in the new era and start a new journey. The school will always be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, adhere to the socialist direction of running schools, implement the fundamental task of cultivating morality and educating people, unite and lead all party members, cadres, teachers, students and staff of the school, keep in mind the original intention, forge ahead, seize opportunities, take advantage of the situation, promote the high-quality development of the cause with high-quality party building, and strive to build the school into a high-level applied university with distinctive characteristics and outstanding advantages. (June 2021)
-Taiwan Social Work Practice Exchange Center, and the Korean Culture Center with universities in Thailand, Malaysia and other countries and Taiwan. The school actively develops the
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ning Innovation and Practice Project" implementing institutions of the Ministry of Education. The number of source countries for international students has reached 70, basically ac
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